Questo 1: Top Shareware/QUESTO1.bin/progb04/manual.doc

Text File | 1995-10-30 | 31KB | 677 lines

=============================================================================
                   Radix: Beyond The Void -- On-Disk Manual
                           Shareware Version 1.0

                   (c) Copyright 1995 Epic MegaGames, Inc.
=============================================================================
                The Incident -- The Reason Why You're Here!
=============================================================================

In the 22nd century, after centuries of global strife and tyranny, the
people of Earth united to form a sovereign world government. The United
Earth Space Alliance (UESA) launched a dynamic plan to expand the reaches
of the human race beyond that of our solar system. In the year 2147, this
effort resulted in the launching of the first of two colony ships. These
massive vessels were destined to colonize a huge asteroid, designated
Theta-2, on the outskirts of our solar system. After five months of space
travel, the first ship safely arrived at Theta-2 and initiated the colony.
Soon after, the second of the two ships departed from earth with 10,000
colonists to bring the Theta-2 base into full operation. Once the colony
was fully established, mankind would finally have the opportunity to leave
the confines of the solar system.

It happened on October 24, 2148; While the second vessel approached the
colony, something unnatural occurred. A dark shape began to form out of
nothing, blacking out the starscape and chewing away at the very fabric
of reality. The commander of the colony vessel ôSalvationö had barely
managed to dispatch an emergency message to Earth confirming that there were
multitudes of alien ships emerging from this "Void."  Just after the
transmission, the largest of the alien ships tore the Salvation apart with
an immensely powerful particle beam.

The gigantic alien craft dragged both portions of the Salvation into a huge
hangar bay, sealing the fates of the 10,000 human beings aboard.

According to the information received from the destruct beacon
(the "black box") there were 45 alien vessels in the vicinity of Theta-2.
The largest ship, which captured the Salvation, moved to orbit the asteroid.
The remaining ships started converting the Theta-2  base into a base of
their own.

Immediately after the incident, UESA went on level one alert status and
began assembling a fleet to eliminate the alien force. UESA's ships reached
the Theta-2 asteroid and began an intense battle with the alien fleet. UESA's
3 battlecruisers, 10 frigates and 15 destroyers fought well, but their
weaponry was no match against the massive alien dreadnought. The mission was
a devastating failure. The Alliance realized that a large frontal assault
was not the way to defeat the invaders. It was decided that a small, heavily
armed, fast attack ship might be able to make it past the ships in orbit and
reclaim the Theta-2 base.

Back on Earth, scientists combined their knowledge and pooled their ideas,
and concluded that the black space, dubbed "The Void," was some sort of
inter-dimensional portal; a tear in the structure of our universe. Using
the current knowledge of multi-dimensional physics, they were able to
develop a device that would allow a small spacecraft, preferably a fighter
of some sort, to enter The Void and possibly leap into a different universe.

Three months after the invasion of Theta-2, the Radix class inter-dimensional
starfighter was built.  Due to the enormous amount of resources required to
build this powerful fighter, only one was built. Although the Radix class
had just barely begun the experimental stage of it's development, there was
no time left. The Radix-class fighter was loaded onto The Defiance, a
battlecruiser, and Operation Vengeance commenced. The Defiance had to leave,
and the Radix, the last desperate hope for humanity, was going with it.

=============================================================================
             Introduction -- What is Radix: Beyond The Void!
=============================================================================

Radix: Beyond The Void is an intense 3D flying action game developed for the
PC platform.  While playing Radix, you'll fly down the alien-infested tunnels
of the Theta-2 base, and even deep into the massive alien ship. You will
also fly into The Void, where unknown terrors await you. It will take great
persistence and skill to navigate the small assault fighter through the
winding tunnels and corridors to successfully accomplish your mission.
You will undoubtedly encounter heavy alien resistance.

Radix: Beyond The Void has 3 large episodes; with each one consisting of 8
regular missions and a 9th secret mission. The action is non-stop, with
only short breaks for the mission briefings. In each mission, you will
have a unique primary objective to accomplish. These objectives range from
destroying key navigation systems to recon missions. Before each mission,
you will receive an informative briefing instructing you about key areas of
the upcoming mission that could give you difficulty. While in the mission
briefing, you can bring up a record which keeps track of a few useful player
statistics.  After the briefing is over, the action begins.

Within the game, you have complete control of the fighter, including lateral
and horizontal movement.  You are free to fly around inside the alien world
in any direction you wish.  There are indicators on the status bar that
provide you with important information.  This includes a threat indicator
that will alert you if an enemy homing missile is locked onto your ship, an
LPS system that acts as RADAR to detect enemy fighters, and as ammo and
damage meters.  On top of the obvious "move" and "fire" keys, you can also
use the "leveling" key to keep climbing or diving steadily for those tricky
sloped tunnels and shafts, and you can also glance behind to help orient
yourself with the aliens ships.  The Radix-class starfighter's neutron and
plasma cannons can even fire at ships behind directly behind it.

You will require the use of all 7 (4 in the shareware version) weapon
systems, which you must to find during your missions. Hazards such as enemy
ships, mindless zombie alien things, missile launchers, crushing floors and
ceilings, steeply sloped tunnels, tractor beams, gravity wells, and more
attempt to prevent your fighter from completing its goal. Your job is to
destroy them, complete your primary objective and make it out alive. In
Radix: Beyond the Void, you will fight for the glory of the United Earth
Space Alliance and avenge the deaths of thousands of humans.


Requirements
------------

  Minimum Requirements          Highly Recommended
  --------------------          ------------------
  486-33MHz computer            486-66MHz or faster CPU
  4 MB of RAM                   8+ MB of RAM
  VGA graphics                  local bus video
  14,400 baud modem             14.4 or 28.8 modem for modem play
       (for modem play)


=============================================================================
                              Getting Started
=============================================================================

Before playing Radix: Beyond The Void, you must run the SETUP.EXE program
to configure the game. To do so, change to the drive and directory where the
game is installed and type SETUP.  When you're done, choose "Save & Exit."
Then, type RADIX to start the game.

Main Menu
---------
Upon running Radix, you will be taken to the main menu. The menu options
available are described below

NEW GAME: Starts a new game.

LOAD GAME: Loads a previously saved game.

OPTIONS: Lets you adjust the music volume, sound effects volume, and mouse
sensitivity.

NETWORK/MODEM: Brings up the network/modem play options.

ORDERING INFO: Has detailed information on how to order Radix or other cool
Epic games.

DEMO: Plays a random demo.

TOP TEN: Displays the top players and their skill ratings. You must complete
an entire episode of Radix to appear on the Top Ten chart.

QUIT: Exits the game.

=============================================================================
                            Starting a New Game
=============================================================================

Select Skill Level
------------------
After selecting "New Game," you must enter your name and choose a difficulty
level. It is recommended that first time players play on the "I can't do
this. I just can't do this," skill level, since the game can be difficult
for beginners. However, the game designers feel that the hardest level,
"Let's kick some xenomorphic butt" is the best way to experience Radix.

Select Episode
--------------
Next, you must select which episode you would like to play. The three
episodes in the full version of Radix: Beyond The Void are "Theta 2,"
"Vengeance," and "The Void." It is highly recommended that beginners play
"Theta-2" on an easy skill level.

Mission Briefing
----------------
Before each mission, you'll enter a mission briefing. Certain areas of
difficulty will be pointed out, as well as your primary and secondary
objectives. There are several options to choose from here:

PLAYER STATS: Brings up the stat screen, described belowe.

SAVE/LOAD: Brings up the save or load screen respectively.

QUIT: Quits the current game and returns you to the main menu.

BEGIN: Begins the mission. The <<<, <<, ||, and >> symbols may be used to
restart, back-up, pause or advance the mission briefing instructions
respectively.

The Stat Screen
---------------
If you select the "Show Stats" option in the briefing, your info folder
pops up showing your statistics. The stats collected are:

CURRENT ASSIGNMENT: Represented by "E" for episode number and "M" for
mission number.

SKILL LEVEL: Your overall skill rating, represented by a percentage. A high
percentage equals high skill.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES COMPLETED: Records the number of secondary missions
you have completed. A ratio is displayed, showing the number completed
versus the number of secondary objectives possible.

KILL RATIO: The number of enemies killed versus the total number of enemies
in the game so far.

TOTAL FLYING: Shows the amount of time you have spent flying.

PAR TIME: The amount of time it has taken to complete each level that you
have finished.

PAR RESET ON: Displays the missions in which you beat the "par" time. For
these missions shown, the par will be reset to whatever time you took to
fly the mission.

=============================================================================
                                In The Game
=============================================================================

Game Controls
-------------
Most of the in-game controls can be reconfigured in the SETUP.EXE. The
default controls and their functions are listed below. If you have changed
the controls, you can press F1 during the game to view your current
configuration.

NOTE: We HIGHLY recommend using the mouse/keyboard combination for
      controlling your ship.


UP ARROW:       Pull up.

DOWN ARRROW:    Pull down.

LEFT ARROW:     Bank left.

RIGHT ARROW:    Bank right.

CONTROL:        Fire current weapon.

SPACEBAR:       Plasma Bomb!

RIGHT SHIFT:    Speed up. Releasing this key will drop back to the default
                speed.

FORESLASH:      Afterburners!

ALT:            Strafe mode.

ENTER:          Backview.

PERIOD:         Toggles leveling on/off.

COMMA:          Switch Weapon.


Other Controls (non-configurable)

NUMBERS 1-7:    Each number corresponds to a weapon. Press one of these number
                keys to select a weapon (which you must currently posses.

F1:             Help Screen.

F2:             Toggle your game play view between chase plane, cockpit, and
                full screen first-person mode.

F3:             Save game.

F4:             Load game.

F5:             Adjust detail level.

F6:             Toggle auto-detail adjust.

F7:             Quick save.

F8:             Toggle auto leveling.

F9:             Quick load.

F10:            Gamma correction adjustment.

F11:            Review mission objectives.

PG/UP           Increase view size.

PG/DOWN         Decrease view size.

PAUSE           Pauses the game.

TAB             Toggle automap (-/+ to zoom).

ESC             Brings up in-game Menu (Chat mode in Multiplayer).


The Statbar
-----------
If you are not in full-screen mode, a status bar will appear at the bottom
of the screen. This bar displays important information including weapon
inventory, ammunition levels, energy levels, mission time, and the
mission kill ratio.

Weapon Picture: A picture of the weapon currently selected is displayed here.

Weapon Numbers: Each number displayed here represents a weapon. Red numbers
indicate that you have the corresponding weapon system but do not currently
have it selected. The yellow number indicates the current/selected weapon.
Gray numbers indicate weapons that you have not yet acquired.

Ammo Meters: These boxes show the amount of ammo for the four weapons which
use ammunition. "SHELL" is for the EPC, "MISL" is for the Seeking Missiles,
"TORP" is for the Phase Torpedoes and "NUKE" is for Nuclear Missiles. The
other weapons use energy, so no ammo is shown.

Mission Timer: This timer tells you how long you've spent on the current
level.

Kill Ratio: The first number indicates the number of enemies that you have
destroyed. The second number is the total number of enemies in the current
level.

Status Bars: The three red and blue bars on the stat bar indicate the status
of the ship's armor, shields, and energy.

L.P.S: The Laser Probing System on the Radix fighter is similar to what was
know as "RADAR" in the 21st century. The L.P.S. can give you an accurate
account of where enemy fighters are in relation to your ship.

Threat Indicator: The threat indicator tells you if a seeking missile has
locked on to you. You know that a missile has a lock on you when this
indicator is lit.

=============================================================================
                      Energy, Weapons, and Power-ups
=============================================================================

Energy
------
There are two things which use energy on the Radix fighter - Energy weapons
(see below) and Afterburners. Afterburners use energy to achieve a high speed
increase. To maximize the use of the extra speed, while minimizing the amount
of energy consumed, use your afterburners in spurts.

The Weapons
-----------
There are two classes of weapons that the Radix ship can use. One class
requires ammunition to function, and the other requires the use of the ships
energy to function. Your energy always regenerates, so energy-weapons
(neutron and plasma) should be used the most.

1. Neutron Cannon: The Neutron Cannon is your basic energy cannon. It can be
   powered up by running into a neutron weapon power-up. Neutron Cannons can
   be powered up four times. The Neutron system is configured so that you are
   able to fire backwards, by using the back view key.

2. Explosive Projectile Cannon (EPC): Rapid fire cannons can cause heavy
   damage if you can keep them trained on enemies long enough. The EPC is
   the weapon of choice for clearing rooms full of mines or drones.

3. Plasma Spreader: This weapon creates powerful, weaving packets of plasma
   energy, and is powered by the shipÆs energy core. The Plasma Spreader can
   be especially deadly if powered up to the fourth level. The Plasma Spreader
   is especially effective in narrow corridors and, like the Neutron Cannon,
   it can be fired backwards.

4. Seeking Missile System: This launcher fires two enemy-seeking missiles.
   Although not nearly as powerful as the seeking phase-torpedoes, these
   missiles lock on faster than the torpedoes and are found more often.

5. Nukes: This weapon fires a powerful nuclear missile that detonates in
   a huge explosion. The explosion affects all enemies in the immediate area,
   so a direct hit isnÆt always necessary to kill an enemy.

6. Phase Torpedoes: Phase torpedoes fire in a cluster of three torpedoes
   which travel close together. These torpedoes act as one projectile until
   they each arm themselves and split out into three powerful enemy-seeking
   torps. Overall, the phase torpedoes are the most effective weapon in the
   game.

7. Gravity Wave Device: The Gravity Wave is a very powerful energy weapon
   that inflicts massive destruction on anything in its path. Use it
   sparingly, as it will drain your energy dry.

Weapon Power-ups and Ammo
-------------------------
Weapon power-ups may have different functions, depending on which kind of
weapon the icon represents. In all cases, collecting a power-up for a weapon
which you do not possess gives you that weapon-capability. Collecting
weapons which use ammunition will usually provide you with more ammo as well.
The Neutron Cannon and Plasma Spreader can be "powered-up," by collecting
several weapon power-ups after the first. Both of these weapons can be
powered-up four levels, resulting in a faster firing rate for the weapon and
making it much more effective for destroying enemies. Note that collecting
power-ups for energy weapons always restores your energy level to its maximum.

Other Important Power-ups
-------------------------
All power-ups, including weapons and ammo, have green identifier arrows which
point inward toward the item. If an object in Radix does not have these
arrows, shoot it! Some power-ups only last for a limited period of time;
These items are in effect for as long as the corresponding indicator-icon
appears on the right side of your screen.

Full Armor (gray) - Restores your armor to its maximum amount

Full Shields (blue) - Restores your shields to their maximum amount

Full Energy (green) - Restores your energy to its maximum amount

Rapid Shield Regeneration (blue): Increases the rate at which your shields
regenerate for a limited duration.

Rapid Energy Regeneration (green): Increases the rate at which your energy
regenerates for a limited duration.

Super Shields (red): Enclose the fighter in a protective shield that makes
the ship completely invulnerable to enemy fire and collisions for a limited
time and also gives extra protection against hitting surfaces.

Maneuvering Jets: Increase the rate at which your ship moves up, down, left
and right - very useful in combat. Limited duration.

Plasma Bomb: A plasma bomb flashes in a powerful pulse of plasma energy that
can incinerate visible enemies instantaneously. Each power-up icon gives you
one plasma bomb. The icon at the top right of the screen shows how many
plasma bombs you have left.

A.L.D.S: The Automated Laser Defense System is a complex system that hovers
around the Radix craft. When it senses an enemy nearby, it shoots a stream
of laser bolts, attempting to destroy the target. The A.L.D.S stays with the
fighter throughout the current level.

BOOM Pack: Provides ammo for all of your weapons.

=============================================================================
                              The Environment
=============================================================================

Flying
------
Flying can sometimes be the most difficult part of Radix. Your fighter
takes damage from hitting surfaces such as walls, ceilings or floors. It's
best to practice flying in the beginning. Watch your stats - if you are
consistently getting 90% or higher for proficient flying, then you're a
good pilot. Until then, however, you'll find yourself constantly flying
into obstacles and dying. Flying is very difficult at first, but it
becomes much easier with practice.

When you hit a surface, your shields are the the only thing preventing your
ship's destruction. Your shields are designed to absorb 100% of the impact
from hitting walls, ceilings and floors. Once your shields are depleted,
there is nothing left to prevent your death but the limited armor that your
ship has. For this reason, it is important that you keep your shields from
being "in the red" while navigating cramped tunnels or other small areas.

Doors, Moving Surfaces and Holographic Walls
--------------------------------------------
There are a number of different moving surfaces in Radix. Doors are the
most common variety. Most doors are activated by "triggers" that you must
fly over. Most triggers will have a special graphic that will tell you that
a trigger is there, but sometimes triggers may be hidden. Some doors may
also be opened by shooting at them.  Many of these "shooting" type doors
are there to hide a secret area. If you suspect a wall to be concealing a
secret door, shoot at it. Note that some secret doors can be quite resilient
to damage, so make sure you really pound the possible door with lots of
firepower before moving on.

Holographic walls are also commonly used to hide secret areas. They look
like regular walls, but they donÆt really exist! Simply fly through them.
Holographic walls can be easily discovered by firing a weapon through them.

Environmental Dangers
=====================
There are a number of deadly things in the Radix environment besides enemies
and their ships...

Gravity Wells:
  Gravity Wells are alien traps that attempt to push or pull your ship up or
  down. Unless you take evasive action, you will inevitably be forced into a
  wall and crash. It is best to avoid flying over Gravity Wells. Some wells
  are so strong that you have to pull up very fast to escape them. In such
  cases, afterburners can be very useful; If you aim your plane up and punch
  your afterburners you should be able to escape even the strongest of
  gravity wells.

Forced Ship Movement:
  Some areas exhibit strange gravitational disturbances that can "pull" the
  Radix fighter in any direction and at any speed. These disturbances are
  practically undetectable, so if you hit one, you'll be at its mercy.

Teleporters:
  These are energy areas that transport your ship into a different area of
  the current level. Teleporters are very alien in nature, and are usually
  undetectable. Some of these may be marked with a specific alien symbol,
  but some might pop out of nowhere. Fly with caution!

Missile Walls:
  Missile Walls are a special type of wall that shoots missiles at you.
  These walls can always be destroyed, but the amount of damage that they
  can sustain varies. Therefore, it's best to simply keep shooting at
  these walls until they explode. Any weapon that causes an explosion will
  be the extra effective against missile walls, as it may destroy multiple
  missile walls at once. There is a deadly variety of the missile wall
  that shoots missiles which lock onto your ship. Watch out for these
  seeking missiles...they are VERY deadly.

Barrels:
  Barrels explode after taking a few shots. Use them to your advantage.

Stationary Vehicles
  Ground-based vehicles can sometimes be found scattered throughout levels.
  These vehicles were probably left by the colonists of Theta-2 and serve
  no real purpose.

Enemies
-------
As if the environmental hazards aren't enough to hinder your goal, you'll
face heavy opposition by alien craft in Radix. Some of the enemies you'll
encounter are described below.

Mines:
  These floating mines usually move in a straight line, if they're found
  moving at all. They are easy to destroy, but if you run into a couple of
  them you're dead.

Bio-Mines:
  Bio-mines are intelligent mines which follow you around, trying to
  detonate on your ship. There are two types of these mines, strong and
  weak.

Bio-Mechs:
  Bio-Mechs are moving cannons which fire energy bolts at anything in front
  of them. Some of these turrets move across floors, walls and even ceilings.
  Bio-Mechs are easily destroyed, but several of them together can barrage
  you with energy bolts.

Alien Fodder:
  These guys are large, zombie-like aliens. They walk around operating
  computer consoles, among other tasks. These aliens will attempt to shoot
  you with their guns. However, they are very weak and can be killed by
  simply flying through them.

Defense Drone:
  Defense drones are the weakest ships youÆll encounter in Radix. Defense
  drones fire two weak bolts of energy, and are only a real threat when
  encountered in large numbers.

Battle Drone:
  Battle drones are more powerful than the Defense drones, but still not a
  real threat. These drones fire a single energy bolt and are fairly
  resilient to damage.

Skyfire Assault Fighter:
  This fighter is the most powerful ship encountered in the first episode.
  The Skyfire fires small red bolts rapidly, making it a tough ship to
  fight head-on.

Missile Boat:
  This ship looks similar to the Skyfire (especially from the front), but
  is much more powerful. Given the chance, a Missile boat will launch
  streams of powerful missiles at your ship.

Stormbird Heavy Bomber:
  The Stormbird is the most deadly ship youÆll ever face in Radix (not
  including the bosses, of course). This ship fires regular missiles as
  well as laser guided missiles, which lock onto your ship and follow you.

Exo-Droids:
  These massive metal monstrosities are very tough to destroy and shoot
  missiles at you. You won't encounter one until the end of the first
  episode, and you may see one or two later in the game. Luckily, you'll
  probably hear them before you see them!


=============================================================================
                     Running Radix in Multiplayer Mode
=============================================================================

NOTE: Before playing a modem, network, or null modem game, you'll have to
configure your hardware in the SETUP.EXE. For details on configuring your
modem, network, or null modem, refer to the HELPME.DOC file in the Radix
directory.

To start a multiplayer game, select "Network/Modem" from the main menu. Then
choose your "Connection type," "Play type," and select any other options you
wish to use. To start the network game, click on the "Go" button at the
bottom of the screen.

Modem Options: In the Modem window, there are 3 options to choose from:
"Wait For Call," "Dial," and "Already Connected." Usually one person
dials and the other waits to answer. If you are dialing, you must click on
the number window to enter a number to dial.

Number Of Players: Modem and serial connections support two players. Network
games allow up to four players to play Radix at once.

Select Skill: The skill levels in a multiplayer game of Radix correspond
to the difficulty levels in the regular game; Skill level 1 is the easiest
and skill level 4 is the hardest.

Multiplayer Options: There are 3 optional settings for modem/network games:
"No Enemies," "Respawning Powerups," and "Warp." "No Enemies" eliminates
all enemies from the maps, pitting you head to head against the other
players. "Respawning power-ups" causes power-ups to reappear after two
minutes. We recommend that these options remain selected unless you are
playing a cooperative game. "Warp" allows you to start the game on the
specified episode and level.

Game Type: Radix supports three different modes of play for multiplayer
games: "Dogfight," "Cooperative," and "Capture the Flag." In Dogfight mode,
your goal is to destroy the other human opponents as often as possible. In
Cooperative mode, play is the same as in a normal game, but your seeking
missiles will not seek the other players, and powerups must be shared between
players. "Capture the Flag" mode presents a new challenge as you must capture
all of the flags from the other players to complete the level, while
destroying the other players to reach this objective (All flags are dropped
when a player is killed, and each player begins with a flag).

=============================================================================
                             Gameplay Strategies
=============================================================================

Greg's 3 Laws of Radix:

Here are a few hints and tips to help you play Radix:

1. Save your game all of the time. Radix has a fast and furious gameplay
environment, and novice players will die often. If you save your game all
the time, you can prevent yourself from having to start at the beginning of
the level with no weapons.

2. Avoid hitting walls. If your ship hits walls, your shields take damage. If
your shields lose all their energy and you hit a wall, your armor will
instantly be crushed and youÆll be destroyed.

3. Conserve your energy. Energy is a valuable commodity in Radix. It's wise
to keep your energy level at least above 50% at all times, especially if you
are low on E.P.C shells and missiles. A good way to do so is to conserve the
energy power-ups and energy weapon power-ups (Neutron Cannon, Plasma
Spreader, or Gravity Wave). Only pick up these powerups if you need them.

=============================================================================
                             Troubleshooting
=============================================================================

If you encounter any problems running Radix: Beyond the Void, please consult
the HELPME.DOC file for tips and solutions.  You can view this file with a
standard text editor, or by typing HELPME from the directory in which the
game installed. If, after reading this file, you still can not get Radix
working, you can contact EpicÆs technical support at the following places:

In the USA:    tech: [phone]     fax: [phone]
In the U.K.:   tech: [phone]   fax: [phone]
In Germany:    tech: 0130-822-887          fax: [phone]


=============================================================================
            Radix: Into The Void Credits - In Alphabetical Order.
=============================================================================

Programming:            Dan Dufeu, Shahzad Malik, Jonathan Mavor

Additional Programming: Mark Lewis

Graphics and Artwork:   Cygnus Multimedia, Greg MacMartin, Jason Struck

Additional Artwork:     James Schmalz

Music:                  Marc Gravelle

Sound Effects:          Mark Totti

=============================================================================
                           Enjoy playing Radix!
=============================================================================